Little Shit, A dedication to Ashik Amatya

We had experienced a terrifying flight back from Lukla airfield, widely regarded as one of the most dangerous airports in the world, with its steep downward runway and huge drop at the end of the short strip of tarmac.   It was the end of Ming Ming’s introduction to the Khumbu region. In the few weeks we were there, I had almost walked to certain death in between Junbesi and Nunthala, we had got amazing glimpses of Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse and I had reduced Ming Ming to tears just past Chhukung as I got down on my knee and produced a ring for her when she was upset that she could go no further due to the altitude. As we landed in Kathmandu, I looked over at a German guy who was sat opposite and exclaimed, ‘Wow, I shit pants once or twice there mate’. ‘Just once or twice?’ was his retort as we both burst into laughter, incredibly relieved that we were safely back on solid ground… no pun intended!

Our guesthouse, just outside of Thamel was in a part of the city that was dustier than most, and the location was a little far away from entertainment, so Ming Ming and I decided that we’d get showered, and then head into Thamel and find a new place to stay. Initially I suggested that we get a room at the Ganesh Himal, a popular hotel where my good mate Alan and I had stayed when we first visited Nepal in 2011, however as always this was fully booked, much to our disappointment at the time. We headed into Thamel, and opposite Mandap Hotel we saw that there was an alleyway leading to a guesthouse that Ming Ming had read about in her Chinese guide book. We entered the guest house, which to us seemed a little dark and dingy, and having not been won over by the front desk staff decided to look elsewhere. We stood outside in the alleyway, and discussed the prospect of staying in the more upmarket Kathmandu Guest House for a couple of nights. Just before we were about to agree on this idea, we saw a sign for Yeti Guest Home, just next door to the place we had walked out of. I suggested to Ming Ming that maybe we just inquire inside as to the cost, and she agreed. Little did we know that this one small decision would have life changing implications just under a year and a half later.

As we walked through the door of Yeti Guest Home, I could sense a very clean and relaxed atmosphere. This young Nepalese guy with a hugely warm smile on his face welcomed us in, answered all of our questions, and said that there were rooms available. I recall that we even took a look at some rooms, and then very satisfied with what we saw, agreed to place a reservation for the next night. The level of customer service and how accommodating this young lad was to our requests took me aback. ‘My name is Ashik’ he replied as I shook his hand and asked his name. I knew right there on 10th February 2014, that we would become good friends. However, never in a million years would I have guessed that a year and a half later, geological events would throw us together and strengthen my bond with the whole family and that we would be co-founders of an NGO named Absolute Gurkha.

Ashik is like I mentioned above, a very outgoing, positive and friendly young man. He also possesses a killer sense of humour and certainly this visit to Nepal I have felt the brunt of it when he refers to my rapid weight gain. At times he refers to me as XL, hence why I have nicknamed him ‘Little Shit’, a nickname my wife fondly calls me when I am in China. We have a lot of fun and laughter, but when it is time for work then I know of no person who is as switched on as Ashik. In our meetings with builders and school leaders, he is strictly business and has considered every angle of what we are trying to achieve. In our group meetings he is the natural born leader, standing out and making the tough decisions, giving reasons why he chooses to do things in certain ways. He is the brains behind everything that Absolute Gurkha is doing in Nepal, and that gives me confidence that we will achieve great things in a country that really needs all the help it can get. He is also incredibly generous and kind, often taking the team out to dinner, and at times also helping individuals whose lives have been upturned by the earthquake. In Sankhu, he agreed to help build a shelter for an old couple living in a house so destroyed that it looked like a minor tremor might bring it down on top of them. He is naturally a great guy, and chatting to Ashik’s mother confirms this, as she recounted their hard times in the past, and how Ashik rose up and helped his family overcome these difficulties.  When Ashik saw first hand how intense my fear of heights could be, with a slightly evil glint in both his eyes and smile, he told me that he was going to pay for me to do paragliding.  Throughout the holiday I could tell he was enjoying my apprehension about the agreement, but deep down I know that he was doing this to help me overcome this pathetic fear that I have.  I could go on about Ashik’s positive attributes, but I’ll finish on his bravery.  To get aid out to the rural areas cut off from the main roads, the team had to take off road drives, which at times is incredibly dangerous.  I saw first hand how much risk was involved at Rasuwa, when we crossed a number of landslide zones and it was nothing short of petrifying.  Ashik and the team have been regularly taking these sort of trips, and putting themselves at risk in order to ensure that the villagers will get their supplies.  This is nothing short of heroic, and worthy of my utmost respect.

On the day of the earthquake, I drunkenly stumbled home in the evening and checked my Facebook account to find many people worried about the welfare of Ashik and his family. I had called Ram, Ashik’s father earlier and had luckily gotten through to find that the family was safe and unharmed. I was able to use this information to put people at ease. I noticed that there were quite a few people on Facebook who really cared about the welfare of the family, they have touched many people’s lives.

It wouldn’t be right for me to just focus on Ashik, as his family also mean a lot to me and I consider them as part of my family too. Ashik has told me that they feel the same way, which gives me a very warm and proud feeling. I love sitting around in the lobby of Yeti Guest Home and chatting to Ashik’s mum and dad, they are always interested in what guests have to say and enjoy their time meeting people and engaging in conversation. Quite often when I walk through the door of Yeti Guest Home after wandering around Thamel, Ashik’s father will beckon me to sit down beside him for a chat. I have also been very fortunate to have spent time cooking with Ashik’s mum, she has taught me how to cook pickle and also assisted me in the kitchen when I was cooking for the Absolute Gurkha team. These moments bring us closer together and give me memories I’ll never forget. Then there is pretty little Ashmita, Ashik’s little sister, who is very different to Ashik in character. Ashmita is quite shy and quiet, but still very friendly when you engage in conversation with her, and has the same charm as the rest of her family. The two friendly assistants, Amit and Ishwor, delivering tea to my room every morning at 6:30am on the dot with big grins on their faces, I’ll miss these two as well. Finally, I mustn’t also forget Pluto the dog. a lovely little mutt, who guards Yeti Guest Home and chases street kids and delivery guys down the alley at every available opportunity.

Now it is time for me to leave Nepal again for a while.   It’s obviously a sad feeling, but at the same time I know I’ll be back at every opportunity to help develop Absolute Gurkha and spend more time with Ashik and his beautiful family. The way we have worked together since the earthquake has been very focused, incredibly rewarding, and has genuinely given a real purpose to life, knowing that what we are doing is having a positive effect on people’s lives.  It’s been, and will continue to be a complete honour to be able stand shoulder to shoulder and perform great deeds with my younger brother, ‘Little Shit’.

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